Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Saudi Arabia, China, the European Union, the United States, and other countries to invest in the nation’s vast mineral sectors.
Pakistan hosted a summit on Tuesday to promote investment opportunities in its mines and minerals sector to attract international funding for its natural reserves, which are estimated to be worth $6 trillion.
The Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum seeks to emphasize the country’s reserves of copper, gold, lithium, and other valuable minerals while promoting opportunities in the underutilized sector.
Addressing the delegates, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that Pakistan’s mineral reserves value trillions of dollars. He affirmed that foreign investment in the mineral sector has a crucial role in resolving the country’s ongoing financial crisis and alleviating its reliance on substantial foreign loans.
Despite its abundant reserves of salt, copper, gold, and coal, Pakistan’s mineral sector contributes only 3.2% to the GDP and 0.1% to global mineral exports.
The Prime Minister clarified that Pakistan does not allow the export of raw minerals, insisting that foreign companies process the extracted materials domestically and focus on exporting finished products instead.
At the summit, Pakistan plans to unveil the National Minerals Harmonization Framework 2025. The Prime Minister is expected to outline upcoming policy changes, underlining that raw materials will not be allowed for export. Instead, investors will be required to establish industries within the country to process the materials and export finished products.
Multiple companies finalized agreements with Pakistan in the mining sector, including the Canadian company Barrick Gold, which holds 50% ownership in the Reko Diq gold mine located in southwestern Balochistan province in Pakistan.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar revealed that Pakistan is offering incentives to attract potential investors. He mentioned efforts to align regulatory frameworks with competitive fiscal terms.
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